Access Tourism NZ TOURISM FOR PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES, SENIORS, AND AGEING BOOMERS IN NEW ZEALAND AND WORLDWIDE

Tourism South East (TSE) in the UK – which covers eight counties – has over 2000 industry and 70 local authority members.  Tourism in the region is worth in excess of £13 billion and supports over 300,000 jobs.   TSE estimates that the disabled market is worth £40 billion per annum, and that over 2.5 million disabled people travel regularly.  As they often travel with families and carers the number of access tourists increases dramatically.   TSE has funding to deliver a series of subsidised Destination Access Audits, mini audits, bespoke access workshops, and Welcome All courses across the South East over the next four years.  It also used funding from the South East England Development Agency (SEEDA) to undertake some  Accessibility Case Studies to understand how businesses have benefited from making their properties more accessible in the run up to the 2012 Olympics and Paralympics in London.   These include:

• Heath Farm, Lewes.  A four star self- catering property that has achieved the National Accessible Scheme Mobility Grade 2 award, is a TSE member and whose owners have benefited from Welcome All training. 
• The Roald Dahl Museum, Buckinghamshire.  Won the Enjoy England Award for Small Visitor Attraction Of The Year 2008, is a TSE member, has taken significant steps towards welcoming all customers and has benefited from signing up to Hosting The World.
• Holiday Inn, Windsor/Maidenhead. The Holiday Inn Windsor/Maidenhead has achieved the National Accessible Scheme Mobility and Hearing Grade 1. The Holiday Inn Accessibility Manager recently presented at a Tourism South East and Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead accessibility seminar at Legoland.
• Winchester Cathedral, Hampshire. Winchester Cathedral is Winchester’s principal tourist attraction and has dominated the city for nearly a thousand years.  Visitors to the city are largely drawn by its well-preserved historical centre and making its key attractions accessible to everyone is important for the city’s ambition to be a world-class visitor destination. Winchester Cathedral is a Tourism South East member and staff have benefited from Tourism South East’s Welcome to Excellence and e-animation training courses.

Videos of some of these case studies can be found here.

TSE also conducted text case studies to provide an insight into the benefits of businesses becoming more accessible in the run up to 2012.  Continue reading:

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At a UN ESCAP meeting held in cooperation with the Asia-Pacific Development Centre on Disability (APCD), Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) and the Ministry of Social Development and Human Security Thailand (MSDHS), Air Asia achieved a first by being represented at a regional conference on facilitating accessibility for people with disabilities (PwDs).  Imtiaz Muqbil, executive editor of Travel Impact Newswire reports that with an estimated 400 million PwDs in Asia Pacific, half of whom women, and 58 million in the ASEAN countries, the market opportunity is clear. As most PwDs also travel along with a care-giver, the prospective revenue stream doubles.  The objective of the meeting was to assess progress made by countries in implementing the projects and programmes under the second UN Asian and Pacific Decade of Disabled Persons, 2003-2012 and to look into the prospects of initiating a Third Decade.  The result was an “inclusive” policy that seeks to boost the human capital development of staff as well as enhance the services and facilities offered to passengers. The airline also decided to “champion the cause of guests with reduced mobility with government authorities, airport management, ministries, etc.”  Kenneth Chan, chief for guest services at Air Asia said that the airline “engages in constant dialogues with organisations representing people with reduced mobility to gauge travel needs and requirements – these may change with the course of time, and we have to be very up to date to render the best services.”  Nanda Krairiksh, director for social development of ESCAP, hailed the contribution of key innovators from the private sector who had been invited to offer their expertise and share their experiences.  “Viewing persons with disabilities as contributors to our region’s economic dynamism as entrepreneurs, employees or an emerging market segment not only helps to change outmoded stereotypes that we are all fighting against but also enhances everyone’s prospects for prosperity,” she said.

A just-released report commissioned by the UK Department for Business, Innovation, and Skills, and the Office for Disability Issues presents arguments for why business should improve access for people with disabilities.   The “2012 Legacy for Disable People: Inclusive and Accessible Business” is the result of work by Atkins Management Consultants who reviewed existing messages and communications to SMEs about people with disabilities, developed more compelling messages, and looked at the case for focusing on the disabled as customers.  In summary, the report found that:

• Disabled consumers in the UK are a significant (10.6 billion people) but poorly addressed market worth £80 billion p.a.
• 83% of disabled people have to take business to more accessible providers
• Disabled customers may account for up to 20% of the customer base at an average business
• The risk of losing business to a more accessible competitor is high as consumer experiences of disabled people affect the choices of family and friends
• Business benefits associated with better accessibility include a rapidly expanding customer base, increases in revenues and profits, loyal customers, improved reputation, and a distinct competitive advantage

 The report notes the strong link between age and the prevalence of disability and that, as the population ages, there will be more disability in future.The main barriers to SMEs improving access include low levels of awareness about the business opportunities of improving access, misconceptions around the cost of improving access and what access means, misconceptions and discomfort about disability and awareness, fear of getting it wrong, dominance of legal compliance issue.

 UK Ministers have urged business to see improving access as a way of becoming more profitable in preparation for the Olympic and Paralympic Games in London in 2010. One million disabled visitors are expected in London for the games bringing with them millions of pounds in business.

The European Disability Forum is an independent European non-government organisation which has played a key role in ensuring that all relevant EU policies and initiatives  take disabled people into account.  It reports that the European Commission has just adopted a communication on tourism which proposes to better include people with disabilities.   The latest communication from the Commission points out that tourism plays an important role in Europe’s economy. It comprises 1.8 million enterprises, many of these being small and medium-sized businesses. It also points out that transport and tourism is a basic right for all citizens, including people with disabilities. The right to travel and to access tourist activities is enshrined in Article 9 of the UN Convention on the Rights of People with Disabilities (CRPD).    The UN CRPD has been signed and ratified by New Zealand, so that these rights exist in this country.  However, we have not done a very good job in implementing this (see for example, this post, and this).   

CRPD has been signed and is in the process of ratification by the European communities and its Member States.  Read more……………

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Tourism South East (England) has commissioned a series of case studies to understand how businesses have benefited from making their properties more accessible in the run up to the London Olympic and Paralympic Games being held in 2012.  The case studies include video and text case studies.  To find out more, continue reading……

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Guest article by Dominika Bojová, Intern, NZ Tourism Research Institute, Auckland University of Technology, and PhD. Student, International Business Management, University of Economics in Bratislava, Faculty of Commerce, Department of Services and Tourism, Slovak Republic.

Since 2009 the Czech Republic has become a country that seriously understands the potential of tourism for certain groups of inhabitants. According to the European Union’s efforts in promoting and supporting tourism for less privileged European citizens, the Czech Republic recently started projects and grant schemes aimed at social tourism.  The aim of these projects is to improve the life of underprivileged citizens while at the same time helping local economies to smooth seasonal disparities, promote regional development, and create new year-round tourism jobs. European developments in  social tourism are guided by  strategies such as the  Lisbon Strategy, Agenda for a Sustainable and Competitive European Tourism  and Corporate Social Responsibility: A Business Contribution to Sustainable Development. The Calypso study conference of June 2010 reviewed the current situation of social tourism in Europe and set three main tasks for action: experience and knowledge exchange between member countries, further development of health tourism, and a pan-European voucher system.  Continue Reading

Translink, the main provider of public transport in Northern Ireland, have produced a free online access guide to transport in the country and also with regards to travelling into Ireland. The guide gives great information about the different type of public information available including the Metro, Ulsterbus, Goldline and NIRailways.  It contains information and advice on how to use services, and contact details to help plan a journey. The guide has been produced in partnership with the Inclusive Mobility and Transport Advisory Committee (IMTAC), and identifies the degree of accessibility at rail and bus stations throughout the country, following major and ongoing investment in improving the facilities.
You can download a PDF version of the guide from Translink’s website and it is also available from rail and bus stations in Northern Ireland. Large print, Braille and audio tape versions can also be provided on request by Translink by contacting them on: 028 9066 6630 (or Typetalk 18001 028 9066 6630).  For other information about things to see and do in Northern Ireland, visit the OpenBritain Directory.

Reprinted with permission from Craig Grimes, Open Britain and Tourism for All

2010 Legacies Now Measuring Up

The Vancouver Winter Olympic and Paralympic Games held earlier this year have left lasting legacies for the disabled. Will New Zealand take the same opportunities presented by holding Rugby World Cup in 2011?  It is probable that we have left things a little late to make any large differences, although some progress is being made.  Access Tourism NZ has already described how planning to improve access around the London Olympic and Paralympic Games in 2012 began in 2004 and is ongoing.  In the case of British Columbia, the organizing committee for the Vancouver Games  (VANOC) knew from the beginning that its responsibility was not only to organize and stage successful Games that upheld the values of the Olympic and Paralympic movements, but also to improve the communities in which those Games would take place.  VANOC’s sustainability targets also included social sustainability.  In 2000, the Vancouver 2010 Bid Corporation partnered with the Province of British Columbia to establish the 2010 Legacies Now program. Since that time, 2010 Legacies Now has worked with more than 4,000 organizations province-wide, investing in programs that will be self-sustaining legacies in the areas of sport, healthy living, literacy, arts, volunteerism and accessibility.

 The planned legacies of the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games are numerous and multi-faceted. Of interest to Access Tourism are the following:

• precedent-setting planning and accountability through ongoing stakeholder engagement with consortiums representing persons with a disability
• enhanced accessibility in Whistler and Vancouver for people with disabilities; Whistler is now one of the most accessible resort communities in the world
• barrier-free guidelines for accessible events and accommodation
• A program called Accessible Tourism, a collaboration between 2010 Legacies Now, the Province, Tourism BC and other partners to help 3,600 tourism businesses and 27 recreations measure their accessibility and learn how to improve it so they can draw and serve people with disabilities, young and old (Scrapbook, p.15)
• The Measuring Up program, supported by 2010 Legacies Now along with the Province of BC, which helped more than 100 communities assess and improve accessibility and inclusion for people with disabilities, including the elderly. Examples of the types of projects supported through Measuring Up include enhanced sidewalks and more accessible parks and transit options.
• Built environment:
  •  Richmond’s Speed Skating  Oval designed to meet and exceed national accessibility standards
  • Whistler Olympic plaza was slated to continue to serve as an outdoor gathering place for residents and visitors, equipped with an open grass lawn, amphitheatre seating, a 13,000 sq ft playground that is accessible to people with and without disabilities, outdoor performance spaces and public art commemorating the Games
  • The Olympic and Paralympic Village Whistler, located a short ride away from venues for Olympic and Paralympic athletes and officials, has a blend of accessible apartments, townhomes and hostel accommodation alongside a High Performance Centre
  • The new Vancouver Olympic Centre, which includes swimming pool change rooms  equipped with movable screen walls so all users, including those in wheelchairs, can use them more easily
  • City of Vancouver project “City Hall Community Garden”, with 40 new plots, eight of them accessible to seniors and people with disabilities
  • Three state-of-the-art playgrounds in Vancouver, Whistler and Richmond, which enable all children, able and disabled, to play together

A new study by a Masters student at Leeds Metropolitan University will look at the travel needs of people with mobility disabilities.  Carlos Buj is working under the supervision of Dr Simon Woodward at the International Centre for Responsible Tourism (ICRT).  ICRT work focuses on the principles of the Cape Town Declaration on Responsible Tourism in Destinations, in order to harness tourism to make “better places for people to live in and for people to visit.”  ICRT has since 1997 worked with governments, tour operators and accommodation providers to realise the aspirations of the Responsible Tourism Movement. 

The study will include a survey which will review the specific needs of travellers using a wheelchair or other mobility aids or those who simply experience some form of mobility limitation. Carlos hopes that people with these disabilities, or a person they often travel with, will provide information about mobility problems experienced when travelling. The survey is completely anonymous, and people can provide their email address if they are happy for Carlos to send follow-up questions or to send a  copy of the final report.  For further information, you can contact Carlos at correoacarlos@gmail.com

Recently, Tour Watch was under threat of closure for financial reasons.  But Tour Watch Founder Scott Rains (who also founded the Rolling Rains Report) put out the word and members have fronted up with enough cash to keep the site going for another year.  Tour Watch presents best practices and opportunities for improved service in the tour operator and leisure education industry from the perspective of slow walkers and those with disabilities.  With over 650 members, Tour Watch presents a forum to post articles, links, photos – in fact, to generally come together to share information about Access Tourism (= Inclusive Tourism)  With 34 groups there is ample opportunity to focus in on whatever is of most interest, be it Rio2016 Olympics and Paralympics, Inclusive Travel in Australia and New Zealand, or Accessible Travel in Malaysia.

Beach wheelchairs for the disabled are becoming more common.  To give just two examples from opposite sides of the world, the Tel-Aviv-Jaffa Municipality (Israel)  just purchased six of the chairs for four of its beaches.  The chairs are designed to enable people with mobility disability to move around on beach sand and enter the water.  There are plans to increase the number of such chairs available.  In  Brunswick Heads (Queensland, Australia), the Disabled Surfers Association with assistance from The Northern Rivers Community Foundation and Byron Shire Council have purchased four “four-wheel-drive” beach wheelchair.  Owen Danvers, who gave one of the chairs a test run at Torakina Beach, said it was a huge bonus for Brunswick Heads’ disabled residents and visitors.  “For a lot of people, just to be able to get their feet wet is an experience, especially for those who’ve never been on the beach before.”   Ted Kabbout, of the Disabled Surfers Association, said the chairs could also be used by the elderly.  “With the ageing population, there are a lot of people who haven’t been down to the beach for a long time who can now think about getting there again.”  Mr Kabbout said the purchase of the chair was the first step in a push to make Brunswick Heads beaches more accessible. In the long term, he would like to see accessibility ramps built at various locations on the river and beaches.  “Brunswick Heads is such a good location for these things to be in place. It’s the perfect fit. It doesn’t cost a huge amount, we just need the will,” Mr Kabbout said.

Recently, Visitor Information Centres in Renfrew County undertook a three day familiarization tour of tourism businesses in the Ottawa Valley prior to the opening of 10 such centres.  In preparation, staff undertook training that included an introduced to the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act (AODA 2005) and the accompanying Customer Service Standards.  The Ministry of Community and Social Services (MCSS) points out that about 1.85 million people in Ontario have a disability (that’s one in seven people).  Over the next 20 years as people grow older, the number will rise to one in five Ontarians.  The MCSS estimates that compliance with AODA standards could generate an additional increase in total retail sales of between $3.8 and $9.6 billion.  AccessON on the MCSS website gives information to businesses on understanding disabilities, recognizing and preventing barriers to accessibility, welcoming people with disabilities, and understanding laws on accessibility.

Lilian Müller is currently President of the European Network for Accessible Tourism (ENAT) and Managing Director of Tourism for All Sweden. She has worked in the field of accessible tourism since 1995, and was one of the initiators behind Tourism for All in Sweden.  She has been instrumental in building up services like the Swedish accessibility database EQUALITY, providing accessibility counselling for the tourism sector, produced training material and holding training courses for staff in tourism companies, and training accessibility auditors.  In an interview with the Design For All Foundation, Müller describes how tourism for all is not about designing and creating solutions and products just for people with disabilities, but is about making sure that these products fit the widest possible number of customers.   ENAT, which was established in 2006 with a grant from the European Union, partners and/or supports many projects around Europe such as CETA (Competitiveness for European Tourism for All).  ENAT also established ETCAATS (European Training Certificate – Access for All in the Tourism Sector), an online training course in Tourism for All, and a ‘road map’ for an EU certification system in the area of accessible tourism vocational training.   Müller describes how Access Tourism is becoming better known in Europe as a concept with the potential to increase visitor numbers.  Access Tourists are attractive because many are willing to spend more money in the low season and they are more loyal to destinations than the average tourist.  She points out that with an ageing population likely to experience increasing disability over time, no tourism operation can afford to ignore improving access.

The Algarve Tourist Board (ERTA) has appealed to regional Town Halls to collaborate in helping broaden the scope of what can be offered to disabled tourists in order to elevate the region as a point of reference within that particular market.  To achieve this goal the ERTA has appealed to regional Town Halls to “co-finance a study that will analyse the destination in terms of being an ‘Accessible Destination’, therefore allowing, “by the end of the year, for the ‘Accessible’ brand to be implemented” throughout the region, under the slogan “One Algarve For All”.   Almeida Pires, Vice President of ERTA told the European Network for Accessible Tourism (ENAT), “We want an inclusive Algarve where accessibility is a key concern. Therefore, we have launched a challenge to the public sector to become an example to the private sector, by taking stock of what is on offer in each area in terms of accessible tourism and creating across the board attractions within all tourist products.  The study will culminate in the preparation of interventions to be applied on the ground, for the benefit of people who have special needs”.

This will include the creation of special access paths that allow wheelchairs to be used on beaches; the availability of specially-adapted wheelchairs that move on sand and by the water’s edge, as well as re-organising car parks and adapting toilets.  “But these measures can only be implemented after existing problems have been detected and solutions found, to adapt tourist products and services so they have the appropriate conditions for universal access”, Pires stressed, highlighting that there is  “urgency in moving forward with this technical study, as part of the Strategic Plan for Promoting Accessibility in the Algarve”.

Simon Kane writes in The Independent that the most forward-thinking of the UK’s tourism businesses are wising up to the fact that attending to accessibility has benefits for both the visitor and the proprietor. One couple starting an accommodation business ensured that the whole of their establishment (The Hytte)  – including the gardens and hot tub – could be enjoyed by all.  The business even has a sensory garden, with scented and tactile plants to appeal to the vision impaired.  Owner Sonja Gregory says the business saw benefits to doing this.   Usually self-catering occupancy runs around 55% – The Hytte achieved 87% in the first year and 97% in the second, a success Gregory puts down to positive word of mouth.  The Hytte has received regional and national awards in recognition of their commitment to access for all, including a gold Enjoy England Award in 2009.  This award goes to tourist attractions and accommodation that go the extra mile to ensure their facilities are accessible to all.  This year (2010), the gold went to imago at Burleigh Court, which offers three meeting venues and fully integrated quality training, accommodation, and extensive sport and leisure facilities.

Passengers will enjoy easier access to information about their rights when travelling by rail or air thanks to a Europe-wide publicity campaign in 23 languages launched by the European Commission this month. Although the Commission has in recent years introduced legislation to ensure air and rail passengers benefit from the same standards of treatment throughout the European Union, not all passengers are yet aware of what they are entitled to. To remedy this, posters reminding people of their rights will be displayed in airports and train stations in all Member States and travellers will also be able to consult free leaflets and a specially designed website in all of the European Union’s official languages.  Passenger rights include a guarantee of equal treatment for people with a disability or reduced mobility.  In Europe, more than one in five people find travelling difficult due to old age, disability or other mobility issues, and the information includes information about the right of train transport for passengers with reduced mobility, information on accessibility for passengers with reduced mobility, assistance for persons with reduced mobility, and air travel for the disabled.

Walks with Wheelchairs UK provides free information on over 500 routes and walks that are suitable for wheelchair users throughout the UK.  The walks on the website have been tried and tested by wheelies or those knowledgeable about routes in the great outdoors.  Website users are able to recommend walks they think suitable, read reviews of walk routes, download walk directions free of charge, and add comments on walks listed.  The website uses gradient and terrain criteria in their walk descriptions, and also provide free ordinance survey maps of walks.  A sister site about walks and routes for parents with buggies or young children follows a similar format.

USA Secretary of Transportation Ray LaHood of the Department of Transportation announced the first federal rule to specifically provide Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) protections on cruise ships. The action comes as the 20th anniversary of the ADA approaches on July 26. “This administration is committed to protecting the rights of passengers with disabilities in all modes of transportation,” LaHood said in a press release. “This rule will ensure fair treatment for people with disabilities who travel by ship or boat.”  The rule applies to two categories of vessels: vessels operated by public entities, such as public ferry systems, and vessels operated by private entities primarily engaged in the business of transporting people, such as cruise ships. The rule will ensure that vessel operators’ policies do not discriminate against passengers with disabilities, LaHood said. Under the rule, vessel operators cannot charge extra for accessibility-related services to passengers, cannot require passengers to furnish their own attendants, and cannot deny access to passengers based on disability. Vessel operators will have to provide information to passengers about the accessibility of their facilities and services and make a knowledgeable person available to resolve accessibility concerns.  The rule does not establish standards for building new vessels or altering existing vessels. Those standards will be developed by an independent agency, the Access Board, and eventually be adopted in future rulemaking.  It also does not apply to other private vessels that transport passengers while providing another key service, like charter fishing boats or dinner cruises. However, a Department of Justice rule will cover that group of operators.

CRI English reports that older travellers are the largets group travelling in China in non-peak times.  For example, 70% of travellers in Guangzhou are in older age groups.  According to the China Daily, the market for senior tourists has increased by 30-50% from that of last year. Many are choosing to travel during non-peak times of the year because they are able to receive discounts on vacation packages and avoid large crowds.   Older travellers say they travel now they are retired and children are off their hands. And  seniors are financially well-off and have time to travel.  The favourite overseas destinations of older Chinese?   Japan, Australia and European countries.   To capture these tourists, neighboring countries are launching efforts to increase tourism to their areas from China. For example, The People’s Daily reports that a group made up of 35 government officials and tourists arrived in Pyongyang in April from China, becoming the first of its kind to visit the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK).  China granted destination status to its neighbour in February.

From Open Britain.

In an interview with the London Evening Standard recently Tanni Grey-Thompson, the UK’s most famous Paralympian, gave OpenLondon the thumbs up. She said “The guide includes advice on travelling around London’s public transport network, where to eat and sleep and accessible tourist attractions. The British Museum, National Galleries, Madame Tussaud’s, Houses of Parliament, Shakespeare’s Globe and Tower of London are all highly rated.”  Dame Tanni Grey-Thompson showed her support for OpenBritain 2010 during its launch at the National Theatre on the South Bank in London in July 2009 and it’s great that we have her continued support for our new OpenLondon Guide.  Welcoming the OpenLondon guide, she said: “It’s nice to know that if you’re going to trek half-way across the city it’s going to be okay, and if not, at least you know what you’re letting yourself in for.”  During the Evening Standard interview Tanni was also voicing her concerns about access for disabled people in the West End of London, more specifically Covent Garden, as it’s “particularly difficult to get around, with lots of small shops and cobbled streets. She suggested that while major chains like Marks & Spencer and John Lewis were well equipped, some retailers had the wrong attitude to change.” 

The OpenLondon 2010 Guide which can be ordered through OpenBritain.net.